Nevada County picayune., 1887-02-02

with you 10 Stay." me speech Ter rather flat, for we thought the Yankees already whipped. How ever, few moments served to dis pei that illusion. We were gath cred around in groups of three ol four discussing our victory, when we were electrified by a voice ex' claiming: "Look! there's the smoke of the gunboats again!' and sure enough there 1t was coming up the river. In about half hour big blaze in the direction of the winter auarters-which were in our front attracted our attention and this was almost instantly followed by the sharp rattle of mnsketry in the same direction. We then knew that the fight had not yet begun and we cast our eyes sOlicitously around in search of our redOutable captain, but he had disappeared, without even so much as an ex- plantation and we never saw him afterwards. We heard after we joined the army of Tennessee that he was in Texas drilling conscripts. As soon as the gunhoats got with ill range they opened on us, our fort returning their fire. Again the shells commenced flying over us and exploding all around Us aud again we thought it eXpedient to explore the bottom of our ditch es. The Yankee infantry then drove in our skirmlsllers and form ed in line of battle and planted their artillery in the woods about 300 yards in our front. The gun boats then paid their attention to the fort, and the land batteries opened with solid shot and shell on the rifle. pits, but we being next to the fort got the benefit
 OF BOTH FIRES.
 Tue fire of the land batteries was terrible-the balls came faster than you could count them, and every one of them seemed to strike our works. Our works were of earth aud wherever a ball would strike the bank those in the rear were covered with dirt. am cer- tain that l was not covered less than twenty times during the day. When a shell would strike the bank and explode and then frag. ments of shell and dirt would fly in all directions, accompanied by that whirring, shrieking, dreadful sound, always produced by the fly ing fragments of shells. Tue fire was the most terrible that we eyer experienced, aud all we had to op. pose 10 it was the six little six pouuders scattered along our line Then would colae Hull in the fir ing, aud d cheer from tue Yankees would announce to ns that d charge was in progress. This was the style of fighting that suited us. Up we would rise and pour volley af' ter volley into them. Their line would first waver, then stop, then turn and rush back, pell mell, to the shelter of the woods and of their batteries, always leaving q considerable number behind, and their batteries would agaln open their terrible fire upon us, These assaults were repeated time and again during the day and always with the same result, their col, umns never getting within fifty yards of our intrenchmentS. Theii losses in these charges, so they told us after the fight, were terri ble, their killed alone almost equalling our entire numbers Strange as it may appear, their ter rible cannouading did us but very little damage, we losing but sixty five killed and wounded during the engagement. In our company we had one man struck and knocked down by nearly spent fragment of shell, but no one else was touched. Our company and Com pauy G, were the ceptre companies of the regiment, Company G being the color company. Just between the two companies aud immediate ly behind the ditches there stood d small tree. Lieut.-Col. An0er son took up his position inmedi- ately in front of and under this tree. There he stood
 DURING THE ENTIRE ENGAGEMENT as cool as though on dress parade the entire upper portion of his